1 (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) I waited patiently for the Yahweh; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

This psalm acquaints us with the innermost thoughts of Messiah...PSA 40:2 Pointed forward to his resurrection. According to Gesenius <953> pit is an empty water cistern cut into rock used for a prison. See also PSA 28:1.

2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

'A breach had been made in it. Its "loins were filled with a loathsome disease; and there was no soundness in its flesh" (Psal. 38:7). This was its condition while prostrate and hidden in the noisome pit beneath the turf.

Eureka - ' The Title'

3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our Elohim: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Yahweh.

4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Yahweh his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

The Lord refused to be compromise for temporal benefits when tempted by the satan in the wilderness.

5 Many, O Yahweh my Elohim, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened <carved for me>: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

God arranged the yearly atonement, in order that the priests might put away from themselves the accumulated sins and iniquities of the nation. Here again the imperfect and typical blood of bullocks and goats had to be offered to God, the former for the priests, the latter for the people.—(Lev. 16.)

Aaron had first to offer for his own sins and then for the people's, and also with the blood of both offerings, he had to make atonement for the holy place, the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar;

"because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions in all their sins."

This done, he took the live goat, laid both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confessed over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and then sent him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness; and the goat bore upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited (margin, a land of separation)—(ver. 21:22.)

These "iniquities," "transgressions," and "sins" Aaron had taken unto himself as the nation's sinbearer during the year; hence he had to lay on hands and confess; and accordingly he had to kill both sacrifices. Thus sin bearing and sin putting away went on from year to year, because of infirmity and death in the priesthood.

"The law made nothing perfect."

A perfect arrangement for the putting away of sins was accomplished in Jesus the anointed. Of him Paul says in relation to the yearly atonement under the law, and its insufficiency as a permanent means of putting away sin,

"Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me."—(Heb. 10:5.)

Paul had already shewn what the nature of that "body" required to be. Under the law God required, and provided a human sin-bearer, covered with holy garments and anointed with oil.

Both garments and oil were made according to His directions, and were not to be used for any other purpose on pain of death. So it behoved Jesus to be qualified in the same for his priestly work. He must be human, and provided with a sin-covering from God, with which He shall be satisfied.

The Christadelphian, Apr 1874

8 I delight to do thy will, O my Elohim: yea, thy law is within my heart.

‎‮"‬The‮ ‬Spirit‮ ‬of‮ ‬Yahweh,‮" ‬said‮ ‬David,‮ "‬spake‮ ‬by‮ ‬me,‮ ‬and‮ ‬his‮ ‬word‮ ‬was‮ ‬in‮ ‬my‮ ‬tongue

‎‮...‬Thus spake the Eternal Spirit of Wisdom, who was brought forth before the earth had being, and who was from the beginning by Yahweh, as one brought up with him. Did not Yahweh, then, sustain the relation of a Father to the Spirit; called "eternal," because, previous to the beginning, it was in him, concentrated and condensed in his Divine Substance, not having then as yet irradiated, or been brought forth therefrom?

Yea, the Spirit of Wisdom is the Son or Offspring of God,

"by whom all things were created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, May 1855.

I delight to do Thy will, O My Elohim - Psa. 40: 8

"Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors" (Psa. 119:24).

"Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage" (v. 54).

Without this frame of mind, there is no hope of life, because this is the Word of God, and it is only by being filled with the Word of God that men can live. Let us learn who are our enemies and who are our allies. When God wishes to destroy a people, He sets every man's sword against his brother. Instead of fighting the enemy, they blindly fight their friends.

Jesus said, "The enemy is the devil," the flesh, with all its natural thinking, motions and desires. Let us keep that clear. When we fight, let us be sure that alone is what we are fighting. We have a host of allies. They are the testimonies of God's law. Every one is a true and powerful friend, although often in our wilfulness they do not seem so.

Sometimes, like the Gadarenes, we impatiently require them to depart from our coasts, because we fear that while they are destroying our evil spirit, they will at the same time destroy our swine. But they are our real friends and defenders. Jesus called three of them to his aid in resisting the subtle enticements of the devil, the devil of lust, greed and pride.

Let us not make the fatal mistake of defending and justifying this enemy, just because it happens to be within ourselves, and of turning against our God-given helpers just because they happen to prick us in the process of coming to our aid.

Bro Growcott - BYT 2. 20

The mind of the flesh will raise a thousand excuses and objections. Here is a clear and revealing test between the mind of the Spirit and the mind of the flesh. The mind of the Spirit will always be seeking to get closer to God-closer to His will-closer to His commandments. The mind of the flesh seeks all the loopholes and excuses-all the secondary meanings-that will weaken the command and confuse the issue.

The mind of the flesh can be spotted before a person has uttered half a dozen words. Its approach to the Word of God is so common and universal. Most people, very quickly, reveal the basic pattern of their hearts and interest, regardless of their words or profession.

There is no middle class at the judgment seat of Christ. Just a clear, sharp line: the sheep and the goats-the right hand and the left hand.

Bro Growcott - Mercy